Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-07-02
Saturday, July ., 1887.


The territory of Montana is at the
present time having q remarkable de-
gree Of prosperity and development,
largely due TO the extension of railway
lines. The st. Paul. Minneapolis &
Manitoba railway Ia pushing an extern
sion of its line from Minneapolis to-
ward Helena and Butte City at the
rate of eight miles per day, using three
snifts Of tracklayers, and working at
might by electric lights. This road ex-
poets to have trains running by the
first Of October.
The mineral wealth Of Montana has
already been thoroughly demonstrated
One mine alone, the Drum Lummop,
now controlled by an English COM
pany, Is q principality in itself, the
monthly receipts being almost fabu-
lous, and capable of being largely in
creased by development. while there
are countless mines in various stages,
some only prospected, some partly
opened, Others paying handsomely.
But mineral resources are only the
beginning of the elements of Mon.
tana's prosperity. It is u wonderful
grazing country, supporting norm
Gus herds Of cattle, and 70 supporting
that the standard prices for Montana
cattle are always about one cent a
pound higher than those of any other
beef cattle OF the west. Its forests are
boundless. and supplied with = variety
of timber. Its streams are large and
plentiful. carrying an abundance of
water for manufacturing purposes, sf-
fording every opportunity for Indus
tries of that sort. IL 10 destined. too,
to become q great and valuable agri-
cultural country. a. the soil of the
hundreds of valleys and foothills Is
virgin soil OF great fertility. In short.
Montana may be considered a. one OF
the most promising Of the territorieso of
the United States, II not the most
desirable.
Thus year oy year the myth Of the
"Great American Desert" dwindles
and disappears before the light Of solid
facts. Year by year, the pioneers of
civilization, fearful Of the terrors be.
fore them and alarmed by the legends
Of the g~eogrAphers, to whom q desert
seemed the most natural thing to put
In their maps, have pushed on and on
and still the desert rolled away before
them. and now from the Atlantic TO
the Pacific the whole continent is
known TO he fitted for the habitatioD
of men, and 10 be capable of SUPPORT
ing the present population of the
world.
Montana has been about the last
hope Of the desert theorists. There
they fondly dreamed Of a full realiza-
ton Of their hopes, of finding the long
looked for Sahara. but there, too, are
green grass and nodding trees, and
running streams. and the "Great
American Desert" passes into the
limbo Of the unrealIzed, along with
other predictions and guesses, geo.
graphical and otherwise. Meanwhile
the real Montana, enthroned among
the mountains like a queen, beckons
the advancing pioneer and smiles q
welcome to all. who with industry and
energy and honest purpose, will de-
mand from her the treasures which
she has hidden for centuries In her
bosom. The enchanted princess has
slept for many years, but now the
true prince. the hardy American son
of toll, has come to lay his kiss upon
her lips and bid her awaken to the
realization Of = new life and new
hope.-San Francisco Chronicle.